This workshop offers to conceive of art in its socio-political and intercultural aspects. What are the opportunities and pitfalls of intercultural communication in art in a global context? Are the voices and performances from the actors of different cultures heard and perceived equally? Who is easier to be socially seen and who is rather invisible? What is the difference between theatre actors and actors in social performances?We will review social and linguistic interactions between Global North actors who represent International NGOs and their counterparts, actors from the Global South and open up to various relevant questions in this context.Methodologically, the workshop will use texts from critical social theory, feminist critical race theory, but also films and social media to understand the transactional nature of intercultural communication strategies. Furthermore, we’ll tackle the problem of discourse that is based on the idea of “development” and the ideology of “aid”.

According to the preferences of the participants, we will open some of the following themes during the workshop:

Who is entitled to speak for whom? (Linda Martin Alcoff, “The Problem of Speaking for Others”)

Human Rights and Moral Outrage—The Role of NGOs on women’s sexuality and health (M. Nagel, “Trafficking with Abolitionism”)

The West and the rest (Mohanty, “Under Western Eyes”)

Providing performative contexts of the complex issue of epistemic injustice